Louis Armstrong’s ‘Last Great’ Performance, a 1968 BBC Concert, Finally Set for Release
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Louis Armstrong’s 1968 BBC session in London — which the legendary trumpeter and singer felt was his “last great” performance — will finally be released this summer.
Louis in London, out July 12 via Verve Records and available to preorder now, captures Armstrong and his All-Stars band on July 2, 1968, where the group played over a dozen Armstrong favorites at the BBC for a concert special that aired later that year.
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Ahead of the LP’s release, listen to the evening’s unearthed rendition of his Song of the Year Grammy-winning “Hello, Dolly!”:
The concert was recorded as Armstrong was reaching both a high and low point: His “What a Wonderful World” was on the precipice of becoming the Number One single in the U.K., but health issues in 1968 would soon force Armstrong off the road for the entirety of the next year. “Satchmo” briefly returned to touring in 1970 before a heart attack abruptly ended the jaunt, and Armstrong died in July 1971.
The Louis in London track list spans the trumpeter’s entire career, from one of the earliest songs he performed, “Ole Miss,” to his takes on “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” “When the Saints Go Marching In,” “The Bare Necessities,” and “Mack the Knife.” His classic “What a Wonderful World” was performed as the penultimate track.
Toward the end of his life, Armstrong would send friends copies of his BBC performance, declaring it amongst his favorites. “Knowing how badly he wanted his friends and fans to hear this music while he was still alive, it’s a great source of pride to know that it will now be enjoyed by new generations, including many fans who weren’t even alive at the time Armstrong passed, but who are still inspired by his music and his joy,” Ricky Riccardi writes in Louis in London liner notes.
“Armstrong once claimed he was here ‘in the cause of happiness.’ All these decades later, albums like Louis in London continue his life’s mission at a time when we still need to be reminded that maybe it still is a wonderful world and maybe we’ll never walk alone after all.”
Louis in London Track List
When It’s Sleepy Time Down South
(Back Home Again) In Indiana
A Kiss To Build a Dream On
Hello, Dolly!
Mame
You’ll Never Walk Alone
Ole Miss
Blueberry Hill
Mack The Knife
Rockin’ Chair
The Bare Necessities
What a Wonderful World
When The Saints Go Marching In
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